Keloids are benign fibrous growths caused by abnormal wound healing occurring in some individuals and their relatives. This condition is common in individuals of African and Asian descent. The precise molecular and biochemical dysfunctions that lead to keloid formation remains unknown. However, there appears to be a genetic predisposition. Given this possible genetic predisposition to keloids, I propose a positional cloning strategy to identify the genes responsible for keloids. l) Using segregation analysis in affected families, the mode of inheritance will be analyzed 2) Linkage analysis will also be used to identify the chromosomal location of the predisposing gene for the purpose of ultimately cloning and characterizing the genetic lesion. Based on research conducted at Meharry Medical College on keloids, members of the jun/fos family of transcription factors have been chosen as candidate genes for the linkage analysis. The results of this proposal should help us to understand the mechanism of wound healing in keloids.